HART Sampling

ABSTRACT

A method for processing an electrical signal comprises receiving an electrical signal comprising a frequency modulated signal encoding digital data, sampling a first portion of the electrical signal to provide a first sample set, and determining an intermediate value from the first sample set. A first output value is selected from a plurality of stored output values based on the intermediate value, the output value indicating a frequency modulation encoded value within the first portion of the electrical signal. An indication of the obtained output value is output.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to European patent application number 13188181.5, filed Oct. 10, 2013, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to methods and apparatus for processing electrical signals, and in particular analogue electrical signals having digital signals encoded therein and, more specifically, to processing analogue electrical signals having HART signals encoded therein.

Analogue current loops, on which only one current level can be present at any one time, are commonly used to remotely monitor and/or control field devices. A 4-20 mA (four to twenty milliamps) current loop is a well-known and widely adopted analogue electrical transmission standard for industrial instrumentation and communication. The 4-20 mA signal is provided via a current loop where 4 mA represents zero signal and 20 mA represents maximum signal. Use of a 4 mA signal to represent zero signal, rather than 0 mA, allows an open circuit condition to be detected.

The Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) Communications Protocol was developed to provide a digital industrial automation protocol capable of being used over 4-20 mA analogue current loops, sharing the pair of wires used by a 4-20 mA system.

The HART protocol makes use of Bell 202 compatible Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) signals to superimpose digital communication signals at a low level on 4-20 mA analogue signals. Bell 202 compatible systems use 1200 Hz to represent a mark (‘1’) and 2200 Hz to represent a space (‘0’). HART enables two-way field communication to take place and makes it possible for additional information, beyond the process variables communicated by the 4-20 mA signal, to be sent to and from a HART enabled field instrument.

While newer industrial process protocols, such as Fieldbus, exist for providing real-time distributed control of field devices, the installed base of 4-20 mA analogue current loops is large, and as such HART remains in widespread usage. It is, therefore, desirable to provide improved methods and systems for HART signal processing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter disclosed herein describes an improved method and system for processing analogue signals having digital communication signals encoded using the HART protocol.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for processing an electrical signal. The method comprises receiving an electrical signal comprising a frequency modulated signal encoding digital data; sampling a first portion of the electrical signal to provide a first sample set; determining an intermediate value from the first sample set; obtaining a first output value from a plurality of stored output values, the output value indicating a frequency modulation encoded value within the first portion of the electrical signal; and outputting an indication of the first output value. The afore-described steps provide a method for quickly and efficiently processing an electrical signal to determine a frequency modulation encoded value.

The electrical signal may further comprise analogue data. For example, the electrical signal may comprise a 4-20 mA signal in addition to the frequency modulated signal encoding digital data.

The indication of the output value may be the first output value itself. The first output value may be a binary value. For example, the first output value may be HART data bit. HART data bits can therefore be obtained from an electrical signal without the need for an expensive HART decoder.

Determining an intermediate value may comprise determining a binary value associated with each of a plurality of first samples in said first sample set, the intermediate value comprising said binary values.

According other aspects of the invention, the first portion of the electrical signal may be sampled at a sample rate of 83.3 μs. Ten samples from the first portion of the electrical signal may be obtained such that the first sample set comprises ten samples. The first portion may be one of a plurality of sampled portions of the electric signal, each sampled portion providing a respective sample set. The plurality of sampled portions may be contiguous. Each of the plurality of sample sets may differ from an immediately preceding one of the plurality of sample sets by a single sample such that the plurality of sample sets define a sliding window over the received electrical signal.

According to another aspect of the invention, each of the sample sets may be associated with a respective count. The count may be referred to as a transition reference count. The method may further comprise selecting the first sample set from the plurality of sample sets based on a count associated with the first sample set. In this way, the sample set used to determine the intermediate value, and thereby the first output value, may be selected so as to improve an accuracy of the obtained first output value.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the count may be in a phase locked loop with respect to data bits of said digital data encoded within the frequency modulated signal such that the count is synchronized with the data bits encoded within the frequency modulated signal. The count may be incremented in a loop such that the count loops from a maximum count value to a minimum count value at a transition between data bits encoded in the electrical signal.

According to still another aspect of the invention, a count associated with the first sample set may indicate that the first sample set is associated with a substantially middle portion of a data bit encoded within the frequency modulated signal. The first sample set may be selected from a plurality of sample sets because the count associated with the first sample set indicates that the first sample set is associated with a substantially middle portion of a data bit. In this way, the first output value is determined based upon the substantially middle portion of the data bit thereby reducing the impact of errors in detecting transitions between data bits encoded in the frequency modulated signal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for processing an electrical signal. The apparatus comprises: a receiver arranged to receive an electrical signal comprising a frequency modulated signal encoding digital data; a sampler arranged to sample a first portion of the electrical signal to provide a first sample set; a memory storing a plurality of output values, each stored output value indicating a frequency modulation encoded value; and a processing module to process the first sample set to determine an intermediate value, to obtain from the plurality of output values a first output value based on the intermediate value, the first output value being associated with the first sample set and to output an indication of the obtained output value.

The processing module may be arranged to output a binary value. For example, the processing module may be arranged to output a HART data bit.

The sampler may be arranged to determine a binary value associated with each of a plurality of first samples in said first sample set, and the processor may be arranged to determine an intermediate value such that the intermediate value comprises the binary values.

The sampler may be arranged to sample the first portion of the electrical signal at a sample rate of 83.3 μs.

The sampler may be arranged to sample the first portion of the electrical signal by obtaining ten samples from the first portion such that the first sample set comprises ten samples.

The sampler may be arranged to sample a plurality portions of the electric signal and to provide for each sampled portion a respective sample set.

The sampler may be arranged to sample a plurality of contiguous portions of the electrical signal.

The sampler may be arranged to sample each of the portions of the electrical signal with respect to a sliding window.

For example, the sampler may be arranged to move the sliding window over the electrical signal by a single sample after sampling each of said portions, such that each sample set will differ from an immediately preceding sample set by a single sample.

The apparatus may further comprise a counting module arranged to associate each of said sample sets with a respective count. The processing module may be arranged to select the first sample set from the plurality of sample sets based on a count associated with the first sample set.

The counting module may be arranged to associate counts with sample sets in a phase locked loop with respect to data bits of the digital data encoded frequency modulated signal such that the count is updated in synchrony with transitions between data bits of the digital data encoded within the frequency modulated signal.

The processing module may be arranged to select the first sample set based on a first count associated with the first sample set, the first count indicating that the first sample set is associated with a substantially middle portion of a data bit encoded within the frequency modulated signal.

The apparatus may comprise a filter arranged to filter the received electrical signal to produce a filtered signal. The sampler may be arranged to sample a first portion of the filtered signal. Each of the portions sampled by the sampler may be portions of the filtered signal. The filter may be a band-pass filter. The filter may have a pass-band in the range of approximately 1 KHz to 3 KHz.

According to a another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause a computer to carry out a method according to the first aspect.

According to still another aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium carrying a computer program according to the third aspect.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a computer apparatus for processing an electrical signal. The computer apparatus comprises: a memory storing processor readable instructions; and a processor arranged to read and execute instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor readable instructions comprise instructions arranged to control the computer to carry out a method according to the first aspect.

Generally it will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention can be implemented in any convenient form. For example aspects of the invention can be implemented by suitable computer programs. Aspects of the invention may provide transitory and/or non-transitory carrier media and computer readable media carrying such computer programs. Further aspects of the invention may provide apparatus arranged to carry out the methods described herein. Such apparatus may take the form of a general purpose computer system comprising a memory storing processor readable instructions and a processor arranged to read and execute those instructions, the instructions comprising instructions controlling the processor to carry out methods described herein.

It will also be appreciated that features presented in the context of one aspect or embodiment of the invention in the preceding and following description can equally be applied or combined with other aspects or embodiments of the invention.

These and other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and accompanying drawings, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a decoding apparatus according to some embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 is a representation of a filter response of a filter of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing carried out by the decoding apparatus of FIG. 1 to determine an output value;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a method for populating a LUT used in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an architecture of a distributed industrial process control system in which embodiments described herein may be utilized;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a controller of the industrial process control system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a possible configuration of a controller;

FIG. 8 is a schematic, illustration of possible configurations of an input assembly and an output assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is one exemplary illustration of a possible configuration of a two-out-of-three voting arrangement;

FIG. 10 is another exemplary illustration of a possible configuration of a two-out-of-three voting arrangement;

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an input module;

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of an analogue input termination assembly; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a HART module.

In describing the various embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word “connected,” “attached,” or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

4-20 mA analogue electrical signals are used to connect industrial devices comprising sensors and transmitters to controlling equipment within industrial process control systems. The 4-20 mA signal communicates conditions sensed by the sensor such as pressure, temperature differential pressure, etc. Benefits of the 4-20 mA standard include the ability to detect open circuit conditions by a signal dropping to 0 mA, and that use of a current signal is robust over long distances given that current signals are generally resilient to noise interference and voltage drop. The 4-20 mA signal is generally referred to as the primary value (PV).

Many industrial devices that utilize the 4-20 mA standard also comprise a microcontroller to control their operation. As many industrial devices are installed in hostile or inaccessible environments, the Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) protocol is used to remotely communicate and configure a microcontroller. HART superimposes a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) signal on the 4-20 mA signal, arranged so that the FSK signal can be filtered out of the received signal, allowing both the FSK signal and the original analogue 4-20 mA signal to be read.

An additional benefit of the HART protocol is that additional data can be gathered from an industrial device during operation. For example, serial numbers, fault data, calibration data, and more accurate digital values can be read. Additionally, HART provides for the reading of more than one value. For example, a pressure sensor may provide a pressure signal over a 4-20 mA PV and, through HART, may additionally provide a process temperature.

The generation, and superimposition onto 4-20 mA signals, of HART FSK signals is well known in the art and as such is not described herein, it will be appreciated, however, that suitable 4-20 mA signals comprising HART FSK signals may be generated using any suitable method. For example, HART signals may be generated as described in co-pending European Publication No. EP2413300. In general terms, however, each HART message (or packet) is formed from a plurality of data bytes (8-bits), including data bytes indicating a start of a message (i.e. a preamble), data bytes containing the data to be transmitted, and a data byte, in the form of a checksum, indicating an end of a message. At a HART transmitter, each HART data byte is transmitted in an 11-bit character, each 11-bit character comprising a start bit, the data byte, a parity bit and a stop bit. A logic ‘1’ (or mark) is represented by a 1200 Hz periodic signal, while a logic ‘0’ (or space) is represented by a 2200 Hz periodic signal by modulating the 4-20 mA signal through continuous phase FSK modulation.

At a receiver, the FSK signal is converted back into a serial bit stream. Each 11-bit character is identified from the serial bit stream (the pre-amble being identified first), the data byte of that character obtained, and the HART message determined from the contents of the received data bytes. Methods for decoding received 4-20 mA signals to convert received FSK signals into a serial bit stream without the use of a dedicated HART modem are now described.

In FIG. 1 a decoding apparatus 1 for processing a received analogue signal to obtain HART data is shown. An input signal 2 is received from a HART transmitter (not shown), the input signal 2 comprising a 4-20 mA analogue signal on which has been superimposed an FSK signal. The signal 2 is passed to a band-pass filter 3 for filtering. The band-pass filter 3 has a passband of approximately 1 KHz to 3 KHz and outputs a filtered analogue signal 4. The band-pass filter 3 acts to separate the HART FSK signal from the input signal 2 and to remove noise and avoid aliasing when the output signal 4 is sampled as described below. In the presently described embodiment, the band pass-filter 3 has a frequency response as shown in FIG. 2 and a pass-hand voltage gain of approximately 3 dB. It is to be understood, however, that any suitable filter may be used.

From the band-pass filter 3, the signal 4 is passed to a sampler 5. According to one embodiment of the invention, the sampler 5 is arranged to sample the signal 4 at a sampling rate of 83.3 μs and at a sampling depth of 1-bit. For each sample obtained by the sampler 5, a value of ‘1’ is assigned if the sampled voltage is above a threshold voltage, and a value of ‘0’ is assigned if the sampled voltage is at or below the threshold voltage. In some embodiments, the threshold against which a sample is judged is the quiescent point of the signal 4 output from the band-pass filter 3.

The output of the sampler 5 is used by the decoding apparatus 1 to provide a 10-bit sliding window over the signal 4. The 10-bit sliding window slides by 1-bit to provide a new 10-bit sample set 6 every 83.3 μs. It will be appreciated that the sliding window covers a portion of the signal 4 of the same length as that used by the HART protocol to encode a single HART data bit (i.e. 833 μs). A sliding window of 10-bits and a sampling period of 83.3 μs has been found to provide sufficient decoding performance in the presence of interference to be consistent with the requirements of the HART physical layer protocol. While increased decoding performance can be achieved with a higher sampling rate, or a greater bit depth, this would result in increased, and therefore more expensive, processing and storage requirements. As such, a sampling rate of 83.3 us at a bit depth of 1-bit provides a particularly beneficial arrangement.

It is to be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments, the sampler 5 may be arranged to sample at a greater bit depth and at a greater sampling frequency. For example, the sampler 5 may be configured to sample the signal 4 every 8.33 μs to provide a 100-bit sliding window covering a portion of the signal 4 having equal length to a portion of the signal 4 used to encode a HART data bit. Indeed, it will be apparent from the teaching herein that the sampler 5 may sample at any suitable bit depth and with any suitable frequency. It will be appreciated that the sampler 5 may be implemented in any appropriate way.

Each 10-bit sample set 6 is used as an index into a lookup table (LUT) 7. The LUT 7 comprises one-thousand-twenty-four entries, one entry for each of the possible patterns of bits in the 10-bit sample set 6. Within the LUT 7, each possible 10-bit sample set 6 is associated with a value indicating a HART data bit. Upon receipt of each 10-bit sample set 6 from the sampler 5 (i.e. every 83.3 μs), the LUT 7 is used to provide an output 8 indicating whether the portion of the signal 4 corresponding to the 10-bit sample set 6 is most likely to encode a mark (‘1’) (or transition from a space to a mark) or most likely encodes a space (‘0’) (or transition from a mark to a space). For example, the output 8 of the LUT 7 may be implemented as a single bit, but may equally be implemented in any other way.

In every 833 μs period, the LUT 7 outputs ten indications, while in general only a single HART data bit 10 is output in the same period by the decoding apparatus 1. In some embodiments, a HART data bit for a particular 833 μs period is the value of a predetermined one of the ten indications output by the LUT 7 in that period. A transition reference count (not shown in FIG. 1) is maintained by the decoding apparatus 1, the transition reference count being synchronized with the HART data bit period of the signal 4. That is the transition reference count is in Phase Locked Loop with the HART signal encoded in the signal 4.

In more detail, the decoding apparatus 1 is configured to increment the transition reference count by a value of one, in a loop between values of zero and nine, in response to each output of the LUT 7. Table 1 below illustrates the state of the transition reference count following respective outputs from the LUT 7, where each output from the LUT 7 indicates that the portion of the signal 4 being processed most likely encodes a space (‘0’) (or a transition from a mark to a space).

TABLE 1 LUT output value Transition Reference Count 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 0 9 0 0

When synchronized with the HART data bit period of the signal 4, a transition reference count value of zero indicates that the most recent sample in a 10-bit sample set 6 is likely to be a first sample of a new HART data bit. A transition reference count value of nine indicates that the most recent sample in the 10-bit sample set 6 is likely to be the last sample of a HART data bit. A transition reference count value between zero and nine indicates that the most recent sample in the 10-bit sample set 6 is likely to have been taken from the middle portion of a HART data bit encoded in the signal 4.

In some embodiments, to synchronize the transition reference count with the HART data bit period, the transition reference count is reset upon detection of a transition between a space and a mark within the signal 4, as illustrated in Table 2.

In Table 2, a first four outputs of the LUT 7 indicate a space. In response to each of the first four outputs from the LUT 7, therefore, the transition reference count is incremented by one. A fifth output of the LUT 7 indicates a mark. That is, the fifth output of the LUT 7 indicates a possible transition between a space and a mark in the signal 4. Upon detecting the possible transition, the transition reference count is reset to zero. While each output of the LUT 7 continues to indicate a mark, the transition reference count is incremented by one for each output from the LUT 7.

TABLE 2 LUT output value Transition Reference Count 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9

In this way, as described above, a transition reference count value of zero indicates the start of a HART data bit, while a transition reference count value of nine indicates the end of a HART data bit.

Detection of transitions between HART data bits may not always be entirely accurate. In some embodiments, therefore, each HART data bit value 10 output by the decoding apparatus 1 is selected from one or more of the LUT output values 8 between a transition reference count value of zero and a transition reference count value of nine. For example, it may be desirable to select a HART data bit 10 from a LUT output value 8 generated by a central portion of a HART data bit period (e.g. a LUT output value 8 having a transition reference count value of four, or five). In some embodiments, therefore, the processor 9 is configured to output a HART data bit 10 corresponding to the output 8 of the LUT 7 having a corresponding transition reference count of a particular predetermined value. In one particular embodiment, the processor 9 is configured to output a HART data bit 10 having the value of the LUT output 8 with a corresponding transition reference count of 4.

By outputting a HART data bit 10 with a value selected from a value output by the LOT 7 in response to processing a middle portion of a HART data bit of the signal 4, the decoding apparatus 1 is more robust to false transitions. That is, while it is possible to output a HART data bit 10 immediately upon detecting a transition, noise in the signal 4 may result in false detections of HART data bit transitions.

In some embodiments, the processor 9 is configured to output an average (e.g. a mode) of a predetermined number of received outputs 8. For example, the output 8 of the LUT 7 having transition reference values of three, four and five may be subject to a two-out-of-three vote, with the result of the vote being provided as the HART data bit 10.

In some embodiments, to further mitigate the effects of noise, the transition reference count is not reset to zero immediately upon detection of a possible transition in the signal 4. For example, in some embodiments, upon detection of a possible transition, the transition reference count is adjusted so as to be closer to zero, without actually being reset to zero. For example, the transition reference count may be incremented or decremented by one in dependence upon on whether an increment or a decrement would result in the transition reference count being closer to zero. In this way, noise resulting in a false indication of a transition in the signal 4 does not cause large fluctuations in the transition reference count (and corresponding loss of synchronization). Table 3 illustrates an example in which the transition reference count is adjusted towards zero, rather than directly reset upon detection of a possible transition.

TABLE 3 LUT output value Transition Reference Count 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 1 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3

In Table 3, the first four outputs from the LUT 7 each indicate that the portion of the signal 4 being processed likely encodes a space. A fifth output of the LUT 7 indicates a possible transition between a space and a mark. At the fifth output, in the absence of a possible transition, the transition reference count would be incremented to four. In light of the possible transition, however, the transition reference count is adjusted in the direction closest to zero. In this case, therefore, the transition reference count is decremented from a value of four, to a value of three.

A sixth output of the LUT 7 indicates that the portion of the signal 4 being processed likely encodes a space. This indicates that the fifth output of the LUT 7 did not indicate a genuine transition. It will be appreciated that because the transition reference count was only adjusted by a single decrement, any detrimental effect on the synchronization between the transition reference count and the HART data bit period of the signal 4 is reduced.

An eleventh output of the LUT 7 again indicates that the portion of the signal 4 being processed indicates a possible transition between a space and a mark. In this case, the transition reference count is incremented by one (as in this case incrementing moves the transition reference count closer to a value of zero). As such, while the transition reference count would have had a value of nine, the transition reference count takes a value of zero. The twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth outputs of the LUT 7 continue to indicate a transition towards a mark, indicating that the transition indicated by the eleventh output was a genuine transition. As such the adjustment to the transition reference count in the direction of zero at the eleventh output of the LUT 7 is such that the transition reference count is again synchronized to the HART data bit period of the signal 4.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing that may be performed by the decoding apparatus 1 to select a HART output value 10 based on the outputs from the LUT 7 and the transition reference count. At a step S1, a 10-bit sample set 6 is obtained from the outputs of the sampler 5. The 10-bit sample set 6 is used as an index to the LUT 7 at step S2 to obtain a LUT output indicating whether the 10-bit sample set 6 indicates a mark or a space. Processing passes to step S3 at which the transition reference count is incremented. Processing passes to step S4 at which it is determined whether the LUT output generated at step S2 indicates a transition between data bits. Hit is determined at step S4 that the LUT output of step S2 does indicate a transition, processing passes to step S5. At step S5 the transition reference count is adjusted towards zero. For example, if the transition reference count has a value of ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’ or ‘4’, the transition reference count is decremented, while if the transition reference count has a value of ‘5’, ‘6’, ‘7’, or ‘9’, the transition reference count is incremented. It will be appreciated that if the transition reference count has a value of ‘5’, it may be incremented or decremented. If the transition reference count has a value of ‘0’, it is not adjusted. Processing passes from step S5 to step S6.

If, on the other hand, it is determined at step S4 that the LUT output of step S2 does not indicate a transition, processing passes from step S4 to step S6. At step S6 it is determined whether the transition reference count has a predetermined value. In the example of FIG. 3, the predetermined value is ‘4’, though it will be appreciated that the predetermined value may be any predetermined value between ‘0’ and ‘9’ in the example of FIG. 3, and any value more generally depending upon the implementation of the transition reference count. If it is determined at step S6 that the transition reference count is at the predetermined value, processing passes to step S7 at which the LUT output of step S2 is provided as a HART data bit. That is, if the LUT output of step S2 indicates a mark, the HART data bit output at step S7 is a mark, while if the LUT output of step S2 indicates a space, the HART data bit output at step S7 is a space.

Processing passes from step S7 to step S8 at which the sliding window is moved by one sample before processing passes back to step S1. If, on the other hand, it is determined at step S6 that the transition reference count is not at the predetermined value, processing passes directly from step S6 to step S8.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, adjustments to the transition reference count may be made other than those described above. For example, upon detection of a possible transition the transition reference count may be incremented or decremented in the direction of zero by a value greater than one.

A method for populating the LUT 7 is now described with reference to FIG. 4. Generally, the LUT 7 is populated by determining, for each possible 10-bit sample set 6, whether the HART signal that results in that 10-bit sample set 6 (i.e. the HART signal which causes the sampler 5 to output that 10-bit digital sample set) represents a mark or a space.

The population of a single row of the LUT 7 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4. From a 10-bit digital value 11, a frequency distribution 12 is calculated. The frequency distribution 12 may be calculated by applying a Fourier transform (e.g. using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm) to the 10-bit value 11, for example. In other embodiments, the frequency distribution 12 may be calculated by applying a Fourier transform to an electrical signal that samples to the 10-bit value 11.

From the frequency distribution 12 a HART data bit 13 is determined in accordance with the HART protocol. In particular, if the frequency distribution 12 is centered on or around 1200 Hz, a mark (‘1’) data bit 13 is recorded in the LUT 7, while if the frequency distribution 12 is centered on or around 2200 Hz, a space ‘0’ data bit 14 is recorded. Together, the 10-bit digital value 11 and the selected HART data bit 13, 14 constitute a single row of the LUT 7.

The LUT 7 need only be populated once, and may be populated “offline” (i.e. before the decoding apparatus 1 is used to decode signals in a live system). In this way, minimal “online” processing is required to determine a HART value from a received signal 2. As such, operations such as Fourier transforms need not be performed online.

It is described above that the LUT 7 contains 1024 values. It will be appreciated that where the sampler 5 samples at a greater bit-depth or a greater bit-rate, the number of entries in the LUT 7 will be greater.

The serial output 10 of the processor 9 may be passed to a further processor (not shown) arranged to process the output to determine a complete HART message from the outputs 10. While the decoding apparatus 1 is schematically illustrated and described above as comprising a separate filter, sampler, LUT and processor, it will be appreciated that the decoding apparatus 1 may be implemented in any way. For example, the decoding apparatus 1 may be implemented with one or more dedicated hardware devices and/or in software/firmware.

Embodiments for decoding analogue current signals which may be used in industrial process control systems were described above. An example of an industrial process control system in which embodiments described above may be used is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, in which a distributed architecture is designed to be used in different SIL (Safety Integrity Level) environments, so that if a high SIL is required it can be provided, but if a low SIL is all that is needed the system can be reduced in complexity in order to reduce unnecessary extra costs.

In FIG. 5, an exemplary industrial process control system 100 comprises a workstation 102, one or more controllers 104, and a gateway 106. The workstation 102 communicates with the controllers 104 and the gateway 106 via Ethernet connections 108 to one or more control networks 103. Multiple Ethernet connections 108 provide redundancy to improve fault tolerance. The workstation 102 may be connected via a conventional Ethernet connection 101 to another external network 105.

An example implementation of a controller 104 is described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. Referring to FIG. 6, the depicted controller 104 comprises an input assembly 202, a processor assembly 204, and an output assembly 206. In the schematic illustration of FIG. 6, the input assembly 204 and output assembly 206 are on different backplanes but it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the input assembly 204 and the output assembly 206 may equally well share a single backplane.

Assemblies 202, 204, 206 are created from one or more communications backplane portions. Each backplane portion comprises three slots, each slot able to accommodate respective modules, together with termination assemblies. Each termination assembly comprises up to three slots, which interface to field sensors and transducers. A termination assembly may straddle two contiguous backplane portions. A module comprises a plug-in card with multiple connectors for plugging onto a communications backplane and a termination assembly.

It will be appreciated that while the exemplary arrangement shown in FIG. 6 comprises three slots per backplane portion, other arrangements with greater (or fewer) slots per backplane portion may be provided in other embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example physical configuration of the controller 104. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the input assembly 202, output assembly 206 and processor assembly 204 are physically separated from one another by grouping the modules of different types onto separate communications backplanes. That is, input modules are grouped onto one communications backplane, processor modules are grouped onto another communications backplane, while output modules are grouped onto yet another communications backplane.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the input assembly 202 comprises two communications backplane and termination assembly portions, 202′, 202″. The first backplane and termination assembly portion 202′ has a triplex input termination to which are connected three input modules 202 a, 202 b, 202 c; the second backplane and termination assembly portion 202″ has a duplex input termination assembly to which are connected two input modules 202 d, 202 e. The processor assembly 204 comprises a single processor backplane portion 204′ having three processor modules 204 a, 204 b and 204 c. The output assembly 206 comprises two backplane portions 206′, 206″. The first backplane portion 206′ has a duplex output termination assembly with two output modules 206 a, 206 b and the second backplane portion 206″ has a simplex output termination assembly with a single output module 206 c.

An alternative embodiment of the input assembly 202 is shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, the input assembly 202 comprises three backplane portions/termination assemblies 202′ 202″ 202′. For example, a triplex backplane portion 202′ having three modules 202 a, 202 b, 202 c might be used for an application having a requirement of high availability, a duplex backplane portion 202″ having two modules 202 d, 202 e might be provided for fault tolerant applications and a simplex portion 202′″ with a single modules 202 f might be provided for failsafe applications. The termination assemblies may be provided with different types of field conditioning circuits. For example assembly 202′ may be provided with a 24V DC field conditioning circuit 401 assembly 202″ may be provided with a 120V DC field conditioning circuit 402 and assembly 202′″ may be provided with a 4-20 mA field conditioning circuit 403. Similarly possible configurations are shown for an output assembly 206. It will be appreciated that numerous configurations of backplane portions and termination assemblies with various different numbers of modules and various different types of field conditioning circuits are possible and are in no way limited to those shown in these examples.

Where an assembly provides more than one module for redundancy purposes it is possible to replace a failed module with a replacement module whilst the industrial process control system is operational which is also referred to herein as online replacement (i.e. replacement is possible without having to perform a system shutdown). Online replacement is not possible for a simplex assembly without interruption to the process. In this case various “hold last state” strategies may be acceptable or a sensor signal may also be routed to a different module somewhere else in the system.

The processor assembly configures a replacement processor module using data from a parallel module before the replacement module becomes active.

The field conditioning circuits 401, 402, 403 transform a signal received from a sensor monitoring industrial process control equipment to a desired voltage range, and distribute the signal to the input modules as required. Each field conditioning circuit 401, 402, 403 is also connected to field power and field return (or ground) which may be independently isolated on a channel by channel basis from all other grounds, depending on the configuration of the input termination assembly. Independent channel isolation is the preferred configuration because it is the most flexible. The field conditioning circuits 401, 402, 403 comprise simple non active parts and are not online replaceable.

FIGS. 9, 10 illustrate the flexibility of the industrial process control architecture described herein, each showing an alternative configuration of a triplex system for generating a signal with a high availability requirement. Referring to FIG. 9, an input assembly 501 comprises three replicated input modules 503 a, 503 b, 503 c. The input assembly 501 receives a signal 506 from a sensor 500 via a field conditioning circuit in termination assembly 504. The signal may be, for example, a 4-20 mA signal including a HART FSK signal. The field conditioning circuit in the termination assembly 504 transforms the signal to a desired voltage range and distributes the signal to the three replicated input modules 503 a, 503 b, 503 c. Each input module 503 a-c processes the signal and the results of that processing are sent to a two-out-of-three voter 502 which generates a result signal 507 in dependence upon the output of each processing module 503 a-c.

Referring to FIG. 10, three replicated sensors 600 a-c, each send a respective signal to respective simplex assemblies 601 a-c via respective field conditioning circuits in termination assemblies 604 a-c. Each input module 603 a, 603 b, 603 c processes the signal and provides its output to a two-out-of-three voter 602 to generate a signal in dependence thereon. It will be appreciated that many variations and configurations are possible in addition to those illustrated here.

FIG. 11 illustrates schematically an input module 700 in accordance with the present invention:

An input module 700 comprises eight isolated input channels 701. Each input channel 701 receives signals 702, 703 a, 703 b from field conditioning circuits in a termination assembly 704. Each input channel 701 communicates with a field programmable gate array (FPGA) 705 which interfaces to a backplane (not shown) via a non-isolated backplane interface 706. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) 707 may be provided to indicate a status of the input module 700.

It will be appreciated that having eight channels is merely one design option and other embodiments may comprise greater (or fewer) channels.

Programmable I/O pins of the FPGA 705 are used to directly drive low power isolated supplies, supplying the channels 701 without the need for additional power amplifiers.

Referring to FIG. 12, an analogue input field conditioning circuit for measuring field 4-20 mA analogue current loop signals from a field device comprises a fuse 1001 in series with sense resistors 1003, 1004. The use of the fuse means that the sense resistors 1003, 1004 only need to operate to the maximum rating of the fuse, which in some embodiments is 50 mA. A blown fuse signal 702 is output to the input module to allow the input module to sense and report a blown fuse condition.

The field conditioning circuit shown in FIG. 12 outputs a primary sense signal 703 a and a secondary sense signal 703 b for use by the input channel 701.

One of the input channels 701 is illustrated in FIG. 13 and comprises a blown fuse circuit 1011, a primary input circuit 1013 and a secondary input circuit 1012 for detecting the 4-20 mA signal, which will not be described further here. The input channel 701 also comprises a HART input/output (I/O) module 1018. The HART I/O module 1018 is connected to an analogue input which bears secondary signal 703 b and is arranged to send and receive HART data to a field device. Generation and transmission of HART data is not described in detail herein. In general, however, HART output data is generated in dependence upon a digital input signal 1014 a received from a microprocessor 1014. Output from the HART I/O module 1018 is enabled by a HART enable signal 1018 a supplied by microprocessor 1015. A signal 1014 b, representing HART input data is sent to the microprocessor 1014 for decoding. The signal 1014 b may be generated according to the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

It will be appreciated that while particular arrangements for providing industrial control systems are described above, embodiments for decoding FSK signals from a received analogue signal are more widely applicable. Indeed, embodiments described herein may be used to decode any FSK signal superimposed on a received analogue signal. Similarly, while embodiments herein are described with reference to the HART protocol, it will be appreciated that the methods described herein are not limited to the HART protocol, but may be used, generally, to decode digital data encoded within electronic signals.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It also being understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. 

We claim:
 1. A method for processing an electrical signal comprising: receiving an electrical signal comprising a frequency modulated signal encoding digital data; sampling a first portion of the electrical signal to provide a first sample set; determining an intermediate value from the first sample set; obtaining a first output value from a plurality of stored output values based on the determined intermediate value, the first output value indicating a frequency modulation encoded value within the first portion of the electrical signal; and outputting an indication of the first output value.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first output value is a HART data bit.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the intermediate value comprises determining a binary value associated with each of a plurality of samples in said first sample set, the intermediate value comprising said binary values.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein sampling the first portion of the electrical signal comprises sampling the first portion of the electrical signal at a sample rate of 83.3 μs.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein sampling the first portion of the electrical signal comprises obtaining ten samples from the first portion of the electrical signal such that the first sample set comprises ten samples.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first portion is one of a plurality of sampled portions of the electric signal, each sampled portion providing a respective sample set.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sampled portions are contiguous.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of sample sets differs from an immediately preceding one of the plurality of sample sets by a single sample such that the plurality of sample sets define a sliding window over the received electrical signal.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein each, of said sample sets is associated with a respective count and the method further comprises selecting the first sample set from the plurality of sample sets based on a count associated with the first sample set.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the count is in a phase locked loop with respect to data bits encoded within the frequency modulated signal such that the count is synchronized with the data bits encoded within the frequency modulated signal.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the count associated with said first sample set indicates that the first sample set is associated with a substantially middle portion of a data bit encoded within the frequency modulated signal.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: populating said plurality of stored output values, said populating comprising: determining a plurality of possible intermediate values; and for each of said possible intermediate values selecting a respective data bit for association with that intermediate value.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting the respective data bit for association with the intermediate value comprises applying a Fourier transform to the intermediate value and selecting a data bit in dependence upon the resulting frequency distribution.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting a data bit value of ‘1’ when the resulting frequency distribution is primarily centered around 1200 Hz and selecting a data bit value of ‘0’ when the resulting frequency distribution is centered around 2200 Hz.
 15. An apparatus for processing an electrical signal comprising: a receiver arranged to receive an electrical signal comprising a frequency modulated signal encoding digital data; a sampler arranged to sample a first portion of the electrical signal to provide a first sample set; a memory storing a plurality of output values, each output value indicating a frequency modulation encoded value; and a processing module arranged to process the first sample set to determine an intermediate value, to obtain a first output value associated with the first sample set from a plurality of stored output values based on the determined intermediate value, and to output an indication of the obtained output value.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sampler is arranged to sample the first portion of the electrical signal at a sample rate of 83.3 μs.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sampler is arranged to sample a plurality of portions, and wherein the first portion is one of the plurality of sampled portions of the electric signal, each sampled portion providing a respective sample set.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing module is arranged to associate each of said sample sets with a respective count and to select the first sample set horn the plurality of sample sets based on a count associated with the first sample set.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the count is in a phase locked loop with respect to data bits encoded within the frequency modulated signal such that the count is synchronized with the data bits encoded within the frequency modulated signal.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the count associated with said first sample set indicates that the first sample set is associated with a substantially middle portion of a data bit encoded within the frequency modulated signal. 